JOB SEARCH SKILLS

Career Management

Lecture 2

Lecturer: Rositsa Milyankova

October 2009

Traditional MethodsEmployment agenciesWeb-informationNewspaper advertisementsOnline vacancies / job boardsCareer exhibitionsInternal search (in the

organization)

HR Divisions’ and Agency Functions HRDivision

Fill a specific brief

Administrative function

Gatekeeper role

Agency

Fill a specific brief

Time based service

Paid on results

01/08/2008

Recruitment process

Online applications

Pre-screening

Research

First-round interview

Assessment centre

Screening

Applicants should consider all stages in the process to be equally important

CV DesignGathering informationDeciding what to includeChoosing a formatSections of resumeWrite a resume draftCritique your resume

CV DesignGeneral approach (European,

American)LanguageSection by sectionContact detailsCareer summary / profile / historyAcademic resultsHobbies & interestsNOT longer than 1 page

C.V.samples(http://www.cvtips.com)

Find samples of C.V., Résumé or Cover Letter

Find the difference between a C.V. and a Résumé

Select the best for your case Cover Letter

General ApproachTo be specific / personalizedAchievement basedEmployer benefits from your

applicationRelevant evidence

Language Basic points – purpose for applicationGeneral approach – personal SWOTStyle, techniques, spelling & grammarUse active verbs, vary vocabulary, vary

sentence length, use positive languageClear and conciseBullet points – if necessaryTry to minimise use of ‘I’

Cover Letter / Motivation letter or Business Proposal?

Grab attentionAppeal to their self interestYou are the solution (to their

problem)Be specificRemember HR checklistCall to action

JOB-RELATED CORRESPONDENCE

Letter of inquiry: In this type of query you are inquiring about possible job opportunities that fit your skills. You have to give a general area you are interested in working in.

Job Application Cover Letter or Response to an Job Advertisement: Answering a particular job advert. The important thing in the cover letter is to show that your skills match those for the job advert.

Thank You Letter: A thank you letter shows the interest you have in a position you have been interviewed for.

Acceptance Letter: In this letter you state that you are accepting the job offered.

Declination Letter: You inform your employer that you are no longer interested in the position offered.In all cases make sure you follow the

And Finally

1 - Be proactive not reactive2 - Be employer focussed3 - Make CV & letter specific4 - Do your own research5 - Follow up everything

01/08/2008

Assessment centre elementsCompetencies

interviewInteractive exercisesTechnical interview

For technical disciplines – demonstrating the ability to apply received knowledge

For non-technical disciplines – demonstrating the ability work on a ‘case’ or ‘scenario’.

Listening and responding

Key Elements

Main requirement

Advice

Drawing on past experience to demonstrate a track record of success.

Being specific Drawing on a range of

experiences Making minimal use of

received knowledge/ course work

Being authentic

Being yourself Researching what the

criteria might be – working together, drive, influence, thinking, business sense

Asking team members for help if you don’t understand the task

Providing help to others if you see colleagues struggling

•Ask for clarification if you don’t understand what is being asked of you

•Be prepared – have a range of examples to demonstrate more thanacademic achievement

•Remember the task isprobably only a vehicleto gather behaviouraldata

01/08/2008

Assessment centre elementsDinner & drinks

CollaborativeDecisions

Individual exercise

Understanding and responding to the brief

Working quickly Writing legibly

Key Elements

Main requirement

Advice

Being authentic Asking for information – this

is your opportunity to assess the assessors

Pre-preparing questions Talking with other

candidates as well as assessors

Including other people in your conversations

Not critiquing other candidates

Meeting technical requirements

Delivering an all-round performance

Remembering that development needs are taken into account

Acknowledging that no single person decides who is employed

•Do what the task requires

•Understand the ground rules

•Develop your criteria to enable you to decide ifan offer is right for you

Decision matrix – integrating data

Candidate

Dis

cipl

ine

Rev

iew

Com

pete

ncy

Inte

rvie

w

Col

labo

rati

veG

ame

Com

peti

tive

G

ame

Indi

vidu

alE

xerc

ise

Ove

rall

Tot

al

Wei

ghte

dR

esul

t

Action Discipline

9.5 5.8 7.7 6.8 3.0 32.7 72.3% Offer Mech Eng

8.5 8.0 6.7 5.8 3.3 32.3 71.7% Offer Mech Eng

8.5 6.5 5.7 5.8 4.7 31.1 67.8% Offer Chem Eng

7.5 6.0 6.3 6.8 3.3 29.9 64.2% Offer Mech Eng

7.0 7.0 6.7 4.8 5.0 30.4 64.1% Offer Mech Eng

6.0 6.3 5.3 5.5 7.7 30.8 60.5% Reject PE/RE

6.0 5.8 5.7 6.8 6.3 30.5 60.3% Reject Chem Eng

8.0 7.5 3.3 1.3 4.7 24.8 58.3% Offer PE/RE

7.0 6.0 7.0 4.3 0.7 24.9 57.0% Reject E,C & I

5.0 7.8 5.3 4.8 4.3 27.2 56.3% Reject Mech Eng

5.5 3.5 7.3 7.0 6.0 29.3 55.5% Reject Chem Eng

7.5 5.8 2.7 2.3 6.7 24.8 54.7% Reject PE/RE

5.5 7.3 5.3 1.3 5.0 24.3 52.3% Reject PE/RE

8.0 3.0 4.3 3.5 4.0 22.8 51.3% Reject PE/RE

4.0 6.8 4.0 3.3 3.3 21.3 45.1% Reject Chem Eng

3.0 6.0 5.3 3.5 4.0 21.8 42.8% Reject E, C & I

The Dos and Don’ts

The Dos• Research the company and a little bit about the industry

• Find out what the company is looking for in its graduates – and think of some examples when you’ve demonstrated these skills

• Use the career service

• Keep up to date with business and political news

• Take advantage of the opportunity to find out more about the company and the people, working there

• Answer the question that is being asked, after you understand it

•Be yourself!

The Dos and Don’ts

The Dos Stay calm, be relaxed and don’t panic• Make sure your appearance is smart, but be comfortable• Let the company know of anything that may affect your

performance e.g. dyslexia, special disease• Plan your journey carefully – and arrive on time• Get a good night’s sleep!• Be confident – and trust your own ideas• Have fun• Take some medication for relaxation (Lexotan??)!

The Dos and Don’ts

The Don’ts

•Tell them what you think they want to hear

•Lie

•Be afraid to ask questions

•Worry if one part doesn’t go as well as the rest

•Be too pushy

•Stay up late or drink too much

•Attend events for the sake of it